Day 58: Highlands Ranch, CO to Kansas City, KS

I did a lot of driving today. I woke up around 8:00, packed up, and headed to a bookstore by my Uncle's place, called Tattered Cover Book Store. It was one of the best book stores I've ever been to. It was big and spacious, the employees were really nice, they have tons of comfortable seating (I mean TONS, not just a few comfy chairs like at Barnes and Noble), and they have a great selection of books and related items. I treated myself to a few things- Green for Life (a book about raw food that Robbe recommended), a cute Miguel Ruis notebook (they're the best notebooks in the world) with a picture of a mouse driving a race car on it, and The 5 Minute Face, by Carmindy. I also got a few other things, but I can't say what they are because they're gifts for other people. Here are a couple of photos that I took in the store:

The crafts section looks very crafty

The Psychology section has a couch like Freud's. Haha!

And here are a couple of photos of my uncle and Patch that I took before I left:

Uncle Bruce with his Grumpy hat, Grumpy t-shirt, and grumpy face

Uncle Bruce is never grumpy around Patch (or Pooh-licious, as my uncle refers to her)

The drive was relatively uneventful. Eastern Colorado and Kansas are incredibly flat and boring, so I had to stop at McDonald's twice for Mochas . I learned my lesson last time when I got a medium Mocha. This time I went with a small. Much smarter decision.

Once I got into Kansas, I started seeing lots of Jesus signs.

Here's one, for example

And corn fields.

The ubiquitous Kansas corn field

And these other things; I think they might be irrigation systems, but they also look a little like oil rigs. There aren't any in the DC Metropolitan Area, so I don't know what they are. Maybe someone can tell me. Here are some not-so-great photos:

I also drove through Russell, Kansas, the hometown of former Presidential Candidate and Senator Bob Dole and Senator Arlen Specter. Here's how I know:

And here's what Russell, Kansas looks like:

My goal was to get to Kansas City tonight, and I did it. I just stayed at the first, somewhat reasonably priced, mid-grade hotel I could find, so I'm staying at the Comfort Inn, right off the highway. The employees are very accommodating, it's clean, they have free breakfast (with a belgian waffle maker!!), and the beds are comfy. When I was checking in, I checked to make sure they had wireless internet and that my room was nowhere near smoking rooms or the indoor pool. I've learned to find these things out right away.

Shortly after I got to my room, the guests in the room above me started being REALLY loud. There were at least four different very loud voices, there were repeated stomps (it sounded like a herd of elephants) and various other sounds coming from their floor/my ceiling. I called the front desk right away to tell them about the problem. It took a couple of calls to finally get them to be quiet. Once they were quiet, a noise started that sounded like a vacuum or a jet engine or something. The noise was so loud that when I called the front desk, they could hear it through the phone. That also took a couple of calls, but it finally stopped. At least for now. I just knocked on some wood.

Time for bed. I have another long day of driving ahead of me tomorrow.

ttyl

Day 57: Boulder, CO/Nederland, CO/Highlands Ranch, CO

For some reason I woke up really early yesterday (I mean like around 6:30), probably because I had a lot to do. I updated my blog and then went to Maiberry for breakfast. I had a waffle with bananas and maple syrup. Yum!

Then I went to McGuckin's Hardware, where Sara and my Uncle Bruce told be I needed to go. It's a pretty awesome hardware store. They also sell art supplies and housewares and some toys. They even sell several varieties of bead curtains - the cheap kind that look like long strings of mardi gras beads. I wish I had taken a photo, but I forgot my camera at home.

After McGuckin's, I went back to Sara's. As soon as I walked in the door, Monica called. She came over and hung out with me and downloaded music while I packed. Kristin came home and joined us for the last 20 minutes or so. Then Monica and I went to lunch at The Walnut Cafe. It was 70 degrees and sunny, so we ate outside. Of course it had to get sunny as I was leaving.

After lunch, Monica was telling me about a town just north of Boulder, called Nederland. It sounds like a kid who can't pronounce "th" and "s" is trying to say "Netherlands". It was the first day I could actually see the mountains, and they're something you want to see while in Colorado - Sara kept wanting to take me to see the scenery, but I told her that I didn't want to look at scenery that I couldn't see. Monica and I decided to drive to Nederland. Of course by the time we got to Nederland, it was cloudy, cold, and rainy, but it was still a cute town and the drive up there was really beautiful.

First we went to a little store called Blue Owl Books. They have a kitty who lives in the store. So cute! They also have the best hot chocolate in America. I didn't get one, but I tasted Monica's and it was incredible. They melt real chocolate into it. Mmm... We visited a few more shops in Nederland and then made our way back to Boulder.

Totally unrelated: Sara has a theory that people in Boulder are more physically fit because the thin air at high altitudes requires you to exert more effort to move or do anything. Sara totally made this up. It's not based on anything, although I suppose it is possibly true. Does anyone know? Has anyone ever researched this? Hmm... Another thing - everyone's car I was in in Colorado had a cracked windshield - my uncle, Sara, Kristin, and Monica. What's up with that? Maybe that has something to do with the altitude. I think its probably more likely that it's just a coincidence. I'm sure glad that Ruby's window didn't get cracked while we were there!

Once we were back in Boulder, I got my car and after stopping my Sara's work to say goodbye, I headed to my Uncle's house in Highlands Ranch. I got there around 5:00ish. This time I got to meet Erin, my Uncle's girlfriend's daughter. Erin's 14. She's a freshman in high school. She's really cute and fun. I didn't get to meet her the previous week because she was sick and staying at her dad's house. She's all better now.

The four of us - my Uncle Bruce, me, Erin, and Cindy (Erin's mom) - went to Jason's Deli for dinner. It was so delicious! Jason's Deli was the first place I went out to eat in Houston and I returned many times after that. They don't have them on the east coast, so I hadn't been to one for at least 5 years. Unlike Sweet Tomatoes, Jason's Deli was better than I remembered.

After dinner, we went home and I watched my new favorite show, Glee. When it was finished I was completely exhausted. After all, I didn't have my afternoon nap!